


Our Hearts, Our Choice

by TheWritersCottage



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28235760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritersCottage/pseuds/TheWritersCottage
Summary: Avatar Aang is sent as an ambassador of peace to help smooth relations between the Air Nomads and the Fire Nation after Ozai and his loyalist movement wreak havoc on the world in the wake of Fire Lord Azulon's tyrannical rule. There, Zuko becomes his firebending teacher and a close friend.Their soulmarks bear the names of the ones they're destined for, but maybe destiny isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 94





	Our Hearts, Our Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Love is a choice we make every day.
> 
> Thank you so much to aloeveraspeaks for requesting this one-shot and for being so flexible about the prompt.

When Aang met Zuko for the first time, he was twenty. He’d been sent to the Fire Nation capital as an ambassador to smooth relations between their people. He was still a young Avatar, and the trip would serve to give him the opportunity to learn firebending while on his diplomatic mission. Already a prodigious airbending and waterbending master, and not too bad at earthbending, Aang was ready to take on both challenges with a grin and an endless well of optimism. 

Upon arriving with Appa, Aang was met by Fire Lord Iroh, a jolly man with a pleasant demeanour who had been the one to suggest Aang’s stay in the capital. There was much to amend for after the havoc wreaked by Fire Lord Azulon. With him were three other members of the royal family, one of which was a young man about Aang’s age with all the regal grace of a cat.

“Avatar Aang, welcome.” Iroh greets him warmly, and Aang gives a bow while Momo chitters from around his neck.

“Fire Lord, it’s an honour.” He replies as he stands straight. He has to hold Momo back from tackling the handsome cat-like gentleman for the crown in his hair. “And this is Momo.” 

He pulls the lemur back by the scruff and gives him a glare before gently depositing him on his shoulder once more.

“Sorry about him.” He says with a smile. “Won’t happen again.” _Probably._

“No harm done.” Iroh replies and gestures to the young troupe behind him. “This is my family — this is my son, Lu Ten, my niece Azula, and my nephew, Zuko.”

Lu Ten is a little taller than his father, barrel-chested and handsome with a square jaw. He has kind eyes, and in them Aang is near certain he sees a spark of mischief. 

Ah, Aang has to recant his previous assessment. Azula was definitely the most cat-like of the siblings. She’s a head shorter than Aang, but she holds herself like she could be a giant. Her lips are curled up at the edges of her mouth, her golden eyes narrowed as she sweeps Aang from head to toe. As she appraises him, he gets the distinct feeling she’s left quite unimpressed. He tries to smile, and to her credit, Azula smiles back. The only trouble is that while Aang’s smile is an attempt at breaking the ice, Azula’s could give him frostbite.

Next was Zuko, and Aang wasn’t going to lie to himself. The man was gorgeous — his features sharp enough to cut yourself on. He seemed to be the most reserved of the family, but he offers Aang a small smile in greeting. 

“Zuko will be your firebending teacher.” Iroh explains, laying a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Your rooms are closest together, so I’ll leave my nephew to guide you there. Make yourself comfortable. Tonight we hold a feast to celebrate your arrival. I put in a special request to the cooks for the best vegetarian recipes they could find.”

Aang can’t help the affection that swells in his chest.

“I’m looking forward to it. Thank you.”

He watches as Appa is led off to what looks like a massive stable likely built custom for him, and he turns to Zuko holding out a hand in front of him.

“Lead the way.”

***

After the feast, Aang is perfectly bushed. He’s fed, and he wants nothing more than to fall into bed. He follows Zuko through the palace, making their way down endless hallways with vaulted ceilings above them. 

Zuko isn’t much of a conversationalist, but seeing as Momo is currently taking a ride on his shoulder, Aang doesn’t much mind. Momo was an excellent judge of character, and there was a lot of comfort in knowing that being far from home might not be so lonely if he could find a friend in this quiet prince.

“I’m looking forward to learning firebending from you.” He says, venturing for an easy topic to get Zuko talking. “Maybe you could teach me a little more about the political landscape here as well.”

Zuko has to switch sides to see Aang with Momo on his shoulder, and this only solidifies Aang’s resolve to befriend him.

“Azula is the firebending prodigy, she would probably be a better fit to teach the Avatar, but she’s not…” he pauses, seemingly searching for the right way to describe his sister.

“Not the best people person?” Aang provides with a knowing grin.

Zuko smiles at him then. “Yeah. As for the politics, feel free to ask. I’m sure you know the basics; after Fire Lord Azulon died, my father challenged my uncle for the throne, claiming he was better fit to rule. They dueled an agni kai, which Iroh won. My father was banished, but since then he’d wreaked havoc by building a supporter base of Fire Nation loyalists who want to see the rest of the world under Fire Nation rule.”

Aang knew all of this, but it was interesting to hear it from the son of the man in question.

“Sounds like I have my work cut out for me.”

Zuko nods.

“So, I’m sure you get this all the time, but your soulmark…”

Aang’s tickled by the way Zuko groans. 

“You have no idea.”

“Right on your face. That’s got to be a blessing and a curse.”

“You don’t know half of it. I’ve had so many people claim to have my matching soulmark that we’ve had to dedicate one day each month to letting potential suitors come to the palace. It’s allowed because I’m already marrying age.” Zuko looks exhausted just talking about it. “Where’s yours?”

Aang has the urge to say something ridiculous, but opts for the truth. Best to let Zuko get used to his playfulness first.

“Right in the middle of my back, actually.”

“I suppose you can show me tomorrow at training. It’s easier to practice shirtless when you’re just starting out. Most new firebenders tend to light their robes on fire in the beginning.”

Aang feels the way his expression twists, his brows quirking simultaneously.

“Guess it’s good I don’t have hair then.”

“Just don’t go burning mine.”

Aang laughs then, rolling and from his chest.

“I’ll do my best.”

They reach Aang’s room, and once they exchange Momo, they bid each other goodnight.

***

The first weeks of firebending sessions with Zuko turn out to be a study in everything _not_ to do. Aang learns that the concentration he needs to control the flames is different from the way he commands the other elements. Not only did he need to produce the flame and direct it, he needed to avoid feeding it too generously. At the moment he’s apologizing profusely for nearly singeing Zuko’s eyebrows off.

“Aang, it’s fine.” He brushes him off. “Just pay attention when you’re building the flame in your hands. You need to feel it like an extension of yourself — the heart of the flame should beat in time with your own. The flame’s heartbeat will quicken the more energy you give it.”

“Maybe stand back this time?” 

Zuko shakes his head.

“You need to learn to control your flame to avoid hurting someone by accident. Having me close should be a deterrent.”

Aang disagrees, but he knows there would be no convincing Zuko. Frowning, he resumes his stance, closing his eyes and focusing on the beat of his heart. He narrows his awareness down to only feeling the heat building in his chest, traveling down his arms and into his palms. 

_There._

He feels a pulse, but there’s more. He can feel the way two energies mix; air and fire. He inhales, pulling the air back into his lungs and opens his eyes to see a ball of fire materialize in each of his palms.

“You got it.” Zuko commends.

“Huh. You were right. I needed to focus on the pulse of the flame. I didn’t realize I was accidentally feeding it with my airbending.”

“That makes a lot of sense.” He moves behind Aang then and puts a hand on his waist, the other on his shoulder. “Your stance is off. Keep your hips lower and straighten your back.”

Aang tries to ignore the way his heart flutters in his chest at the contact. 

_He’s not your soulmate._ He reminds himself. 

***

The months go by, and as the time goes on, Aang feels his confidence grow with every day he trains with Zuko. He isn’t sure when their dynamic shifted, but Zuko smiles more easily around him now. They trade jokes and spend their days together when they’re not attending to their respective responsibilities. 

“I’m going to need you as my wingman.” Aang says with a grin as he straightens the collar of his robes in the full-length mirror. 

Zuko heaves a sigh, still dressed in his lounge robes.

“You realize we have to be at the ceremony in a few hours?” Aang muses, lifting a brow at his friend sitting on the edge of his bed behind him.

“You’re going to try to find your soulmate at the coronation?” He drawls, his arms crossed over his chest.

“When I was in Makapu village doing a spirit world call, Aunt Wu told me I’d meet my soulmate at the Fire Lord’s coronation ceremony. Now all I need to do is find someone with the same name as the one on my back. It’ll be easier if I have you helping me out.”

Zuko shakes his head. “There will be thousands of people there, Aang. What do you want me to do? Go up to random people saying excuse me, would you happen to be the Avatar’s soulmate?”

Aang quirks his mouth and looks up at the ceiling as though considering his answer, then he turns to Zuko with a shrug. “Yep.”

Zuko rolls his eyes. “Sure. This’ll be great.”

“Yes! It will be.” He says as he drapes his arm around Zuko’s shoulder and sweeps his other hand around in front of them, gesturing to an invisible panorama.

“Just think! You help me find my soulmate tonight, and I’ll help you next! You should really go see Aunt Wu, though. I’m surprised you haven’t yet.”

“Aang, if my soulmate sees their name on my face and doesn’t say something, then this whole soulmate thing is just a cruel joke. Plus, do you really believe in that nonsense?”

Aang rolls his eyes, pulling his arm away.

“Everyone in Makapu seemed convinced she could do no wrong. Who am I to question her? I mean, I do travel between the human world and the spirit world. Stands to reason.”

Zuko gives him a cool look, and Aang just scrunches his nose at him.

“Alright unbeliever. I’m in all my formal regalia. It’s your turn.”

***

Aang has no time to think about soulmates that evening. Just as Lu Ten bends his knee to accept the crown, the screaming begins, followed by the billowing heat of flames rocketing through the courtyard. A small army of loyalists rush the dias, aiming ferocious blows at the incoming Fire Lord.

Thankfully, Lu Ten is a skilled bender, and working alongside Zuko, Azula and Iroh, they hold their own.

They’re not just coming from the courtyard, they’re coming from above.

“Lu Ten, look out!” Aang yells as he airbends an air shield against a volley of fire sent at his back. Lu Ten turns quickly and expertly knocks out the attackers with concentrated fire blasts. 

It’s then that Aang sees lightning, and he looks over his shoulder to find Azula smirking from the platform over a pile of smoking bodies. 

Iroh stands on Lu Ten’s other side back-to-back with his nephew easily fighting off the remaining attackers. Zuko isn’t even firebending. He moves quick and sure, subduing two men with nothing but his bare hands.

Distracted by Zuko’s grace, Aang isn’t prepared for the onslaught of arrows that come soaring from above. He hears the screams of the crowd, and without wasting any time, he bends a barricade out of the earth to protect the innocent onlookers. 

In his haste to protect the masses, he leaves himself wide open. It’s then he hears the _thack, thack_ of two arrows before he feels them. 

“Aang!”

The pain comes next, sharp and spreading from his shoulder and his thigh. Zuko is at his side then, producing a whirlwind of flames that catches the remaining arrows, incinerating them before they can land. 

Then everything goes blurry.

“Zuko…”

_Poison._

A loyalist appears at Zuko’s back wielding a blade, and using what little strength he has left, Aang blows him back with a gust of air, following it up with cuffs made of earth that clamp around his wrists and his ankles.

Then he falls to his knees and to the floor, consciousness slipping away from him until the world goes dark.

***

When Aang wakes, he’s surprised to find Zuko asleep in a chair by his bed, his neck bent at an angle that promises an achy future. At first he wonders how he came to be here, but he remembers.

“Zuko?” He asks, his voice a croak through his sandpaper throat. He would do anything for a bit of water.

It’s funny to watch the way Zuko’s golden eyes fly open, funnier still the way Zuko throws himself forward with his hands on the edge of the bed.

“Aang. How are you feeling?”

“A little sore, but otherwise fine. Thirsty, too.”

Zuko offers him a hand to help him sit up, and Aang groans at the pain in his bandaged shoulder as he moves. Once he’s propped against the pillows, Zuko pours him a cup of water. When he drinks, he could swear it’s the sweetest liquid he’s ever tasted in his life. 

“What happened out there?” He gasps after downing the cup.

Zuko sighs audibly and shakes his head. 

“Thanks to you, nothing terrible. You saved hundreds of people’s lives, including mine.”

“If I remember correctly, you saved mine first.” He replies with a smile. “What about your family?”

“All safe. The coronation has been postponed while we deal with the fallout. The loyalist movement is getting more aggressive, and we’ll need to handle that before we hold anymore celebrations. Plus, you need time to recover.”

Here, Zuko sits back down in the chair and winces as he moves his head from side to side.

“Come here.” Aang tells him, and he’s surprised that Zuko doesn't hesitate. “Sit down with your back to me.”

Once Zuko is seated, Aang sits up and bends some of the water from the pitcher on the bedside dresser to ease the ache in Zuko’s neck. He doesn't need to touch Zuko to heal him, but he allows himself the luxury of pressing his fingers against his skin with the water. 

“Thank you.”

Though he was done, Aang allows his hands to linger, enjoying the way Zuko leans into his touch. 

“Zuko.” It was meant to be a question, but he realizes he doesn’t want to ask.

“Hm?”

Bending the water back into the pitcher, Aang waits for Zuko to turn to face him. There’s a quiet between them, and Aang can feel the shift in the air. He reaches a tentative hand to cup the left side of Zuko’s face, purposely hiding the soulmark with his palm. He didn’t need the reminder.

“Aang.”

And then they both move, leaning in to breach the distance between them, and they kiss.

Aang’s not sure if it was the near-death experience, or if it was just _Zuko,_ but he sees fireworks behind his lids as their lips meet. It’s like nothing he’s felt before. The way his heart begins to beat furiously in his chest, the way he forgets how to breathe, the way Zuko’s lips feel against his own. It’s the way he forgets how sore he is, if only for a moment.

Zuko is gentle as he rests a hand on Aang’s hip, careful not to aggravate his wounds. They lose themselves in each other, forgetting the time or the place or the mismatched soulmarks they each bear.

***

On an escape from the palace a few weeks later, Zuko lays with his head in Aang’s lap riding in Appa’s saddle as they head to Ember Island for the night. The ride is quiet without Momo, who Aang opted to leave behind with an ecstatic Lu Ten. The two of them would be getting up to trouble no doubt. However much Aang might miss Momo's antics, it would be nice to spend some uninterrupted quality time with Zuko.

“So what do you do on Ember Island?” Aang asks distractedly as he plays with Zuko’s hair, loose from its royal ornament.

Zuko hums in thought, his eyes closed in peaceful contentment.

“My mother used to take Azula and I to the theatre when we were kids to see Love Amongst the Dragons.” His expression screws into something like disdain. “They never did do it justice.”

“Zuko, can I ask about your parents?”

At this, Zuko cracks open an eye to meet the earnest grey ones looking down at him. He’s quiet as he frowns. Memories flood him then, and it’s too much to have Aang watching him so intently.

“Lay next to me?”

Not needing to be asked twice, Aang extricates himself from under Zuko’s head and settles down next to him. He stretches out an arm for Zuko to lay back on.

“My mother left the palace as soon as my father was banished. She returned to her hometown to find the man she’d loved before she was forced to marry my father. She lives there now, and they have a little girl — my younger sister, Kiyi.”

At first Aang says nothing, but Zuko feels himself being watched. There’s a caution to the look Aang gives him. 

“I’m listening.” He says finally.

Zuko couldn’t remember the last time a single string of words undid him as Aang’s had done.

“I was resentful at first. Father had hurt me too, but my duty as Ozai’s son meant that I had to stay behind. I wanted nothing more than to leave everything behind. Sometimes… I still do.”

The admission makes him shudder.

“Then why don’t you?” Aang asks with a blinding smile. “Together, we could heal the world. The Fire Nation is building a new identity, and you would be the perfect spokesperson to spread the word.”

Zuko’s knee-jerk instinct is to refuse, but as the idea percolates, he begins to see a light at the end of the tunnel. There’s truth in Aang’s words. There’s… opportunity.

“Aang!’ He shoots up to sitting, turning to look down at the man he loves with a new enthusiasm. “You’re a genius!”

“Who? Me?” He teases. “Nah.”

Zuko rests a hand on either side of his head and dips low until their lips meet, and he kisses Aang dizzy. 

When they arrive at the beach house, Zuko hardly has the patience to allow them both to eat something before dragging Aang to his childhood room. It was the first time they had total privacy, and Zuko wasn’t about to let the moment pass him by.

Dust particles dance in the beams of light filtering in through the blinds, and Zuko leads Aang to the bed, guiding him to lay back so he can climb over him.

“Aang…” He whispers, searching Aang’s bright grey eyes for an answer. He finds it in his eyes and in the way Aang cups his cheek. Suddenly, the spell is broken, and Zuko pulls away.

“Our soulmarks…” He says quietly, watching the dust pirouette in the light.

He feels Aang’s arms close around his waist and the weight of his head resting on his shoulder.

“Does it really matter?” He asks. 

“It’s destiny, Aang. And… it’s not ours.”

He’s surprised when Aang rises only to plop himself in Zuko’s lap, straddling his hips and capturing his lips in an uncharacteristically aggressive kiss. Aang’s passion wipes out whatever argument his brain tries to produce, and instead he lets Aang guide him. 

It’s not long before they shed their robes, leaving them strewn haphazardly on the floor. Aang touches him lovingly, taking his time, drawing sounds from Zuko he didn’t know he was capable of making. Their bodies are hot against each other, and Zuko can only marvel at how it feels to have Aang’s corded form pressed so close to him. They kiss deeply, hungrily, and Zuko gasps, sighs and moans at Aang’s clever ministrations. 

“Zuko.” Aang sighs as he moves against him. “Oh Zuko.”

He can’t speak. He can only _feel._

_Aang._

Exhausted, they collapse onto the mattress, holding tightly to one another. Zuko hears Aang’s breath as he comes down from his high, he listens as it slows to a steady rhythm in time with his own. Grey eyes filled with adoration turn on him then, and Aang smiles as he speaks.

“I love you, Zuko. I don’t need a soulmark to tell me that.”

That’s when he gets a terrible idea.

***

“Zuko, what have you done?!” Aang yells as he rushes out into the courtyard where he finds his lover doubled over in agony. “Zuko, please.”

He’s horrified when Zuko lifts his face, because nearly the entire left side is smoking, the angry red flesh bloody and singed in places. And the _smell._ Aang bites back the bile that rises to his throat, forcing himself to swallow it down.

“What-”

Zuko stops him with a hand over his mouth.

His golden eyes are soft, but the determination in them is unrelenting.

“Soulmates be damned, Aang.” He rasps. “I love you. No one can take that from me, not even destiny herself.”

Aang feels his eyes prickle with tears, but he blinks them back.

“Then do the same to mine.”

He pulls off his robes to reveal the name scrawled just in the centre of his back. It’s a foreign name to him, and one he doesn’t care to know. All he knows is that the name on his lips is Zuko’s, and that’s the one he plans to carry in his heart until his dying breath.

He cups Zuko’s face gently and leans in to kiss him. He releases Zuko’s wrist, and he sighs as he feels the warmth of his palm ghost over his back.

“Do it.” He whispers.

There’s a near-imperceptible shift in Zuko’s demeanor — a flex in his jaw, the tightening of his arm around his back, and then Aang feels the white-hot heat on his skin, and Zuko swallows his cry. The pain is searing, and Aang can feel the way the top layer of his skin bubbles before it melts under the fire in Zuko’s hand. He furrows his brows, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his face. 

It hurts. It hurts so much, but the pain is nothing compared to the relief that crashes over him. With the burden of the name gone, he can finally forget. There will be a scar, a proverbial middle finger to destiny; in place of the name, the mark he'll bear will be Zuko's.

***

Aang spends the evening healing the burn on Zuko’s face, as he periodically interrupts whatever they’re in the middle of to bend water over the raw skin. It’s with no small amount of twisting that he manages to reach his own burn, but it’s enough to help the healing process along.

“What will you tell Iroh?” Aang asks at last.

“The truth.” Zuko answers simply. “If anyone will understand, it’s my uncle.”

There was one final loose end.

“Your father.” Aang says the words, knowing it’s the elephant-hippo between them.

Zuko looks at him. “You need to master the Avatar state before you can fight him.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll find a spiritual teacher and continue to improve my command of the four elements, and you’ll be my firebending master, and an ambassador for the Fire Nation to the world.” He stops, giving Zuko a goofy smile. “It’ll be nice to have you to keep the bed warm at night, too.”

Zuko shoves him playfully. Aang laughs, then looks out into the sunset, enjoying the way the waves lap at his toes. He feels Zuko lace their fingers together as they lean their weight against each other. They watch the sky burn pink and orange as the sun disappears on the horizon, the first of hundreds they’ll share together. 


End file.
